DPP TONES DOWN CONTENT OF "NORMAL COUNTRY"

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TAIPEI 001971

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/15/2032
TAGS: PGOV TW
SUBJECT: DPP TONES DOWN CONTENT OF "NORMAL COUNTRY"
RESOLUTION

REF: TAIPEI 1956

Classified By: AIT Acting Director Robert S. Wang, Reason 1.4 (b/d)


1. (C) Summary: On August 27 the DPP completed a final
draft of the "normal country" resolution that moderated some
of the more controversial sovereignty and
independence-related language contained in an earlier version
put forward by DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun. The resulting
draft, portrayed in local media as a compromise between the
Yu-backed draft and an alternative introduced by supporters
of DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh, will be considered
by the DPP's Central Executive Committee on August 30. If
passed and later ratified at the DPP party congress on
September 30, the normal country resolution, along with the
1986 plank on Taiwan independence and the 1999 resolution on
Taiwan's future, will become a party policy document stating
basic DPP principles on Taiwan's future. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On August 27 the Democratic Progressive Party
(DPP) completed a final draft of the "normal country"
resolution that moderated some of the more controversial
sovereignty and independence-related language contained in an
earlier version put forward by DPP Chairman Yu Shyi-kun.
Party leaders met into the early evening to hammer out
differences between the Yu-backed draft and an alternative
introduced by supporters of DPP presidential candidate Frank
Hsieh (Chang-ting). The resulting draft has been portrayed
in local media as a compromise between the two earlier
versions. The final draft will be considered by the DPP's
Central Executive Committee on August 30 and, if passed as is
widely expected, will be put on the agenda for the DPP party
congress to ratify in late September.


3. (SBU) The approved draft resolution retains the
assertion that Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country and
does not share overlapping jurisdiction or governance with
China. It calls for actively promoting "name rectification,
constitutional reform, and entry into the UN." It delineates
five areas where Taiwan's development as a "normal country"
has been restricted: 1) international relations; 2)
constitutional and governance structure; 3) national
identity; 4) social justice; and 5) inter-party competition.


4. (SBU) The resolution then makes five corresponding
proposals to put Taiwan on a course toward "normalization:"

(1) Enhance Taiwan self-awareness, deepen democracy, and
strengthen Taiwan identity by completing name rectification
and constitutional reform at an "early date;" Hold a
national referendum at the appropriate time to highlight that
Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country.

(2) Use "Taiwan" to enter the UN, WHO, and other
international organizations because of the difficulty of
using the national title of "Republic of China" in the
international community.

(3) Strengthen Taiwan and local identity by actively
promoting native culture and language and "Taiwanizing"
school curricula.

(4) Develop the economy on the basis of promoting national
security, social justice, and long-term development.

(5) Promote transitional justice to eradicate the remnants of
authoritarian rule and the unequal distribution of resources,
including recovering the assets from the KMT.


5. (SBU) The proposed resolution eliminates language from
the Yu-proposed resolution that made more explicit calls to
push sovereignty-related issues. Yu's version, for example,
called for changing the national title from ROC to "Taiwan,"
defining the national territory as "Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen,
and Matsu," removing references to "one China" in the
constitution, and codifying the "two states theory" by
referring to China and Taiwan as "equal and sovereign
states." The compromise version proposed on August 27 makes
no such explicit references.

TAIPEI 00001971 002 OF 002




6. (SBU) After the meeting, DPP legislator Tsai Trong, a
co-drafter of the Yu-backed version, said the revisions were
acceptable to "pro-independence" supporters. Frank Hsieh did
not publicly express his opinion of the proposed resolution,
but said he would support it as long as Chairman Yu agreed
with the revised content. Other DPP legislators
characterized the resolution as "mild and persuasive," and
suggested the revised content would help drum up more support
for the DPP in the coming elections. Lee Chun-yi, a
legislator from Hsieh's camp, said the resolution was more
"progressive" than the party plank on Taiwan independence and
the 1999 resolution on Taiwan's future.


7. (SBU) The opposition-led KMT has criticized the
resolution as an "election gimmick" designed to help win the
legislative and presidential elections in early 2008. KMT
legislative caucus deputy whip Kuo Shu-chun said the DPP
resolution shows no fresh ideas for dealing with cross-Strait
relations and only aims to create domestic political tensions
ahead of the elections. Kuo and other KMT legislators
singled out in particular the clauses on the KMT party
assets, saying the resolution was aimed at "destroying" the
KMT. More cynical local commentators painted the resolution
as a DPP ploy to divert attention from the DPP's poor
governance record and corruption scandals involving President
Chen's family and former officials who worked for Frank Hsieh
in Kaohsiung.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) After winning the party nomination for president in
May and getting former Premier Su Tseng-chang to accept the
vice-presidential slot, Hsieh and his supporters have been
hard at work to tone down the pro-independence rhetoric of
the Yu-backed "normal country" resolution. If the final
resolution is approved intact by the DPP CEC later this week,
Hsieh will have proven successful in containing some of the
deep Green rhetoric while putting forward a resolution that
could appeal more to mainstream voters. President Chen's
decision to back a resolution with revised language (Reftel)
no doubt also helped the more moderate voices within the
party prevail. If passed and later ratified at the DPP party
congress on September 30, the normal country resolution,
along with the 1986 plank on Taiwan independence and the 1999
resolution on Taiwan's future, will become a party policy
document stating basic DPP principles on Taiwan's future.
Like the previous documents, however, this "normal country"
resolution only provides general goals and principles that do
not bind party candidates to specific policy measures.
WANG